Burst Statistics – Simple WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) vs Site Kit by Google – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed (2026): PluginCheck
Quick Verdict
Pick Burst Statistics if you want a privacy-friendly, cookieless analytics tool that works without a cookie banner and keeps you free of Google's data layer. Pick Site Kit by Google if you run a content or business site that depends on Search Console, AdSense, and PageSpeed Insights data in one dashboard.
Both Burst Statistics and Site Kit by Google help WordPress site owners understand their traffic, but they take very different approaches: Burst keeps everything self-hosted and privacy-first, while Site Kit pulls data straight from Google's own tools. Choosing between them usually comes down to how much you want to integrate with the broader Google ecosystem versus how much you want to stay independent and lightweight.
Burst Statistics – Simple WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative)
Simple, lightweight WordPress analytics with privacy-friendly visitor tracking. Cookieless and GDPR-ready. Setup in seconds, no cookie banner needed.
- Active installs 200k+
- Rating 4.9/5 (182)
- Last updated Jul 15, 2026
- Support resolved 92%
- Tested to WP 7.0.1
- Requires PHP 8.0
Site Kit by Google – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed
Site Kit is a one-stop solution for WordPress users to use everything Google has to offer to make them successful on the web.
- Active installs 5M+
- Rating 4.2/5 (1,006)
- Last updated Jul 13, 2026
- Support resolved 78%
- Tested to WP 7.0.1
- Requires PHP 7.4
Where Burst Statistics – Simple WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) Wins
Privacy and GDPR posture
Burst is cookieless and GDPR-ready out of the box, so sites serving EU traffic can skip a cookie consent banner entirely. Site Kit uses Google's standard tracking, which still typically requires consent infrastructure.
User satisfaction
Burst holds a 98/100 rating across 182 reviews, compared with Site Kit's 84/100 across 1,006 reviews, suggesting fewer friction points per install.
Support responsiveness
Burst resolves 91.7% of support threads versus 78.0% for Site Kit, a meaningful gap for users who rely on the plugin team to debug issues.
Where Site Kit by Google – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed Wins
Ecosystem depth
Site Kit bundles Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Tag Manager, and PageSpeed Insights, whereas Burst focuses only on visitor stats. If AdSense or Search Console matters, Site Kit is the only real choice here.
Install base and battle testing
With 5,000,000 active installs against Burst's 200,000, Site Kit has 25x more production deployments, which usually means broader compatibility coverage on edge-case hosts and themes.
Overall quality score
Site Kit scores 94.31/100 versus Burst's 92.19/100, reflecting stronger marks across the weighted criteria despite its lower user rating.
Score-by-Score Comparison
Site Kit scores 100/30 versus Burst's 79/30, reflecting its 5 million active installs against 200,000.
Both plugins score a perfect 100/25, with updates within the last two days of the comparison window.
Burst leads with 98/15 versus Site Kit's 84/15, and also has a higher average star rating per review.
Burst resolves 91.7% of threads against Site Kit's 78.0%, scoring 92/15 to Site Kit's 78/15.
Both score a perfect 100/15, indicating no significant compatibility flags on standard WordPress environments.
The Bottom Line
For a typical WordPress site owner who only wants clean traffic stats without legal overhead, Burst Statistics is the stronger pick: it scores 92.19/100, has the higher user rating at 98/100, and resolves more support tickets at 91.7%. For publishers, e-commerce stores, and anyone monetizing through AdSense or optimizing with Search Console, Site Kit's 94.31/100 quality score and 5 million installs justify its lower rating, since no lightweight alternative offers that breadth. If you are not using Google's marketing or search products, choose Burst; if you are, choose Site Kit.